Joe McFadden hopes it’ll be second time lucky when he takes to the floor on Strictly Come Dancing . The last time he tried out for the ballroom he was told he was too old – aged 15.

The Glaswegian was a young actor who had already established himself on Take the High Road when he decided a few dance lessons would help push his career on.

Now 41, the actor said: “So I called this place up in Glasgow’s south side and explained I was an actor on High Road. They asked, ‘What age are you?’ and I said ‘15’. They said, ‘Oh no, that’s FAR too old to be a dancer.’

“Who would have known 25-odd years later, here I am again trying to be a dancer.”

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Since it was revealed Joe will be taking part in this year’s Strictly and he was paired with Katya, they’ve been training 9-6 every day. He’s also still doing his day job as surgeon Raf di Lucca in Holby City, a part he’s played since 2014.

And even after playing someone who knows all about the human body, Joe admits he’s finding out about muscles he never knew he had.

He laughed: “I’ve found out about abductor muscles down my side. I had a masseur in and he told me I was going to be in trouble with them and to keep them stretched out.

“There’s stuff about my body I’ve never had to think about but I’m going to take all these new things into my life and hopefully be a bit fitter too.”

Katya has been travelling to BBC Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire where Holby is filmed and they’ve been rehearsing in between Joe’s scenes. He said: “It’s nice to have a distraction and not be obsessing about Strictly full time.

“And I’ve been showing Ellie Fanyinka and Kaye Wragg from Holby a few steps.

Last year's Strictly champ Ore Oduba drops in to surprise the dance partners

“Sadly Tom Chambers, who was in Holby and won Strictly in 2008, is now in Casualty so I haven’t been able to get advice from him.”

However, last year’s winner Ore Oduba has dropped in and given him some tips. “He did the jive so magnificently last year,” said Joe.

“I think it was the jive which won it for him so it was a bit of pressure showing him my steps.

“But he gave me good advice about just enjoying it and have fun as it’s over before you know it.

“I certainly feel I’m in Strictlyland at the moment and everything will get neglected for a few months.”

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While Katya helped Ed stay in and become last year’s people’s champion, the former politician hasn’t dropped in yet to see her and Joe, although he’s promised he will. Joe added: “Katya did such amazing things with Ed last year so I feel I’m in really safe hands. She is a really great teacher. She’s quite a task master and we’d done the routine by day two. She’s quite strict but it’s a nice blend of strictness and fun.”

Joe ­acknowledges he’s also strict on himself. He said: “I am a perfectionist.

“I want to do well and to do well for us so I am quite hard on myself. But that’s how I’ve always been. I’m quite determined.

“When I set my mind to do something I stick at it until it’s done.

“Hopefully it’ll be the same with this and it will go well but you never know until you get out there and see what it’s like on the first show.”

Joe isn’t thinking about winning or even getting to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom final at the moment. Even though he celebrates his 42nd birthday on October 9 and it would be a nice present to still be in the competition, he’s just taking the show one week at the time.

He said: “Katya keeps telling me I have to have an ambition about the show but really I just don’t want to be awful. That’s my ambition at the moment.

“I just don’t want to be terrible.”

The Scot was just 12 when he got his first TV part on Taggart in 1988 before joining Take the High Road in 1990 and carving a long career on television in shows like The Crow Road, Heartbeat and now Holby City as well as well-loved Scots film Small Faces.

He doesn’t need the exposure but Joe is chuffed at joining the Strictly family and is going all-in.

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“Bring on the tan, bring on the sequins,” he said. “In for a penny, in for a pound as they say.

“I’m also up for wearing a kilt or even wearing a white coat or scrubs.”

He’s not bothered about the so-called Strictly curse because he’s single and laughs off early reports that he and Saturdays singer Mollie King were getting cosy. He said: “We were literally going over our dance steps. It’s flattering anyone could entertain the idea of us being a couple but that’s not true.”

Joe also doesn’t see any rivalry with Holby co-star Chizzy or even Susan Calman.

He said: “It was brilliant the first day to have the familiar face of Chizzy and chat about Glasgow with Susan. She’s such a lovely, sunny woman. I really don’t feel like rivals.

“Hopefully one of us will do well for Scotland.”

He laughed: “My only rival is myself.”

Looking sultry as PC Mason in Heartbeat (Image: ITV)

Susan has been getting a lot of flak for being gay and dancing with a man with many, including judge Craig Revel Horwood now reckon there will be same-sex couples of Strictly. “It’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought to,” admitted Joe. “I’m sure it’ll happen at some point.”

Craig will once again be joined by fellow judges Bruno Tonioli and Darcy Bussell with new head judge Shirley Ballas taking over from Len Goodman.

Joe is braced for the judges’ remarks.

He said: “I’m looking forward to the criticism and finding out where I can improve and get better. That’s part of the experience. Bring it on.”

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be hosting once again and none of the celebs will go out this weekend. Votes will go forward to next week and the first elimination.

Cheering Joe on tonight will be mates including Emma Cooke who played Arden opposite him in Sex, Chips and Rock n’ Roll.

Joe said: “I am nervous. But it’s a good nervous. It’ll be nice to get tonight’s first dance out of the way because none of them are going to be as scary as that first live show.”

● Strictly Come Dancing’s first live show is on tonight, BBC1 at 6.25pm.